Posts Tagged ‘2009’

On the evening of December 9th last, AREN members participated in an exercise with Dunmore East Coast Guard. AREN was able to provide communications into what was otherwise a communications black-spot and had members available for logistical support throughout the county, region and country. 10 Members participated in the exercise and all members enjoyed it and learned something.

Many thanks to those who participated, have a good Christmas, and we look forward to meeting everyone early in 2010.

Dunmore East Coast Guard have indicated that they could be having a night exercise at some stage in the next few weeks. The location is in an area where they traditionally experience difficult communications. Hopefully we will be able to assist.

Conditions on the day on HF were very difficult and very challenging for all participants. Little or no stations were worked on CW or Digital modes, with all the traffic being handled on SSB. Thanks to all that participated.

The Sean Kelly Tour took place last Sunday August 30th, and from all unofficial accounts it was quite successful with roughly 2700 hardy cyclists taking to the roads.

Saturday evening, AREN was requested to assist Waterford County Civil Defence in maintaining an accurate location of as many of the three different sub-events (50k, 100k and 160k) as possible. The intention was to allow Civil Defence them to more efficiently deploy their own medical resources around the course and to keep the event organisers more informed. Extensive use was made of the APRS protocol and of the South Eastern Amateur Radio Group’s APRS digital repeater network. It definitely proved it’s usefulness on the day as it allowed AREN members in Net Control to keep both the the Civil Defence and event organisers updated as to the locations of various vehicles almost in real-time through out the day

Many thanks to EI2KA, EI8FDB, EI5GOB, EI2GN, EI3IQ, EI2JP, EI7IG, EI8EPB and EI8JA for their assistance on the day.

The 2009 Annual General Meeting of the Irish Radio Transmitters Society (IRTS) took place on Sunday 26th April in Athlone in the centre of Ireland. The outgoing President Father Finbarr Buckley EI1CS reported a successful year with an increase in membership to 974. This represents a good proportion of the estimated 1,500 radio amateurs licensed in Ireland.

The incoming President, Paul Martin EI2CA, expressed his wish, that during his term in office that he can hopefully increase the profile of AREN in the country amongst both experimenters and members of the public.

Several AREN members were present and some got a look at the MCP for the first time. All agreed that AREN has a basis on which to build a very functional mobile command post.

Alberto IK1YLO received a phone call from Dipartimento della Protezione
Civile at 20:00 UTC 10 April stating that the use of HF for emergency
communications was being closed down and all activities were being
transferred to L’Aquila. The transfer was to be completed by the morning
of 11 April.

Monitoring the frequency today there do not appear to be any other
emergency groups using the frequency over the last 24 hours so it is
appropriate to return it to normal use and let normal amateur procedures
apply,

– Listen before transmitting.

– If you hear any station passing emergency traffic then leave the
frequency clear and avoid causing QRM.

Last Sunday 11 AREN members assisted at the Galtee Walking Club‘s inaugural marathon challenge. Operations commenced at approximately 08:45 where a base of operations (manned by EI7IG and EI2GN) was set up to the left of the ‘start line’ at the entrance to the carpark. This was the first outing for the freshly painted “Mobile Command Post”. Once operational radio checks were completed and EI8FDB headed out with a SEMRA member to follow the walkers on the course. Shortly therafter, EI3FFB, EI2IT and EI3ENB headed out to man the first checkpoint at Moorabbey, at which time EI2JB headed out to begin setting up the second checkpoint. After the walkers completed the half marathon at base and some hardy souls headed off for the second loop. EI8JA and EI9HR accompanied SEMRA to a strategic location on the course, while EI5GPB and EI4GXB followed the walkers on foot as far as EI2JB’s location.

Many thanks to SEMRA and Galtee Walking Club for extending the invitation to participate and their hospitality.

23:30 6th April, the situation is reported as follows by Alberto IK1YLO;

“The Dipartimento Protezione Civile is only asking specialist volunteers to attend the disaster area. They are involving only 5.000 volunteers from very specialized teams used in similar emergencies.
Practically all the repeaters and cell phone services are running! This is the reason a lot of communications support has not been called for.
There is no official net on HF. However on 40/80m some hams from the Headquarters of Protezione Civile in Rome and Protezione Civile in L’Aquila are making spot contacts.
Thousands of volunteers from several Regions are on standby and some specialist groups are making their way in convoy to the area.

All this information is coming directly from the biggest association in Italy for this type of emergency called Misericordie (60.000 volunteers)

Of course if these frequencies on 40 and 80 meters used for emergency will be free it is better! Especially the frequency around 7040/7045.”

So to permit co-ordination of the arrival of emergency responders to the disaster amateurs are requested to exercise caution around 3640kHz LSB and 7040/7045kHz LSB and avoid causing QRM to those responding to this emergency.